1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus and method of discovering a neighbor cell, and more particularly, to an apparatus and method of discovering a neighbor cell which may accurately retrieve a neighbor cell when a primary synchronization channel (PSCH) of a cell where a terminal is included is identical to a PSCH of the neighbor cell, and timings of the cell and the neighbor cell are synchronous.
2. Description of Related Art
In a 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Long Term Evolution (LTE) system, a base station may not receive information about neighbor cells unlike an existing Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) system. Accordingly, a terminal may not receive information about a neighbor cell from the base station, and a high detection rate of neighbor cells and a real-time process for neighbor cell retrieval are required so that the terminal performs a fast handover.
In general, in a 3GPP LTE system, 504 cell identifiers (IDs) may be configured as three primary synchronization channels (PSCHs) and 168 secondary synchronization channels (SSCHs). A PSCH symbol may be used to obtain a cell identifier, and to achieve symbol synchronization between a base station and a terminal. Also, an SSCH symbol may be used to estimate a cell ID of the base station and to achieve radio frame synchronization between the terminal and the base station.
Accordingly, when the terminal performs a handover to a neighbor cell, the terminal is required to estimate information about a neighbor cell using the PSCH and the SSCH.
In general, a terminal may estimate and compensate channel information about a neighbor cell using a PSCH, and detect a cell ID of the neighbor cell using an SSCH.
However, when a PSCH of a cell where a terminal is currently included is identical to a PSCH of a neighbor cell, and timings are synchronous, the terminal may be prevented from discovering the neighbor cell due to the PSCH of the cell where the terminal is included.
Thus, a technology which enables a probability that a terminal retrieves a neighbor cell to increase based on a variety of situations that may occur when the terminal retrieves the neighbor cell is required.